Twenty-Three Defendants Charged in Federal Court with Distribution of Heroin on Milwaukee’s South Side

The Office of the United States Attorney announced today that 23 defendants were indicted in federal court with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, more than one kilogram heroin, in violation of United States Code Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A). If convicted each defendant faces between 10 years' and life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and a minimum of five years’ supervised release.

According to information released in court, this is a large drug trafficking organization that has been selling cocaine and heroin on the south side of Milwaukee for many years. They are responsible for distributing multiple kilograms of heroin per month, and it’s believed that one of the distributors may be responsible for at least one heroin overdose death. The leaders of the organization were Victor, Geraldo, and Praxedes Reyes who are brothers. The Reyes brothers received their heroin primarily from Santiago Hernandez out of Chicago, though they did occasionally use other sources.

Today, law enforcement officers arrested 19 of the defendants (the other four were already in custody) and executed search warrants at seven separate locations. Seized in these search warrants was approximately $300,000 in U.S. currency and five firearms. Over the last few weeks, officers have also seized over one kilogram of heroin.

The defendants were charged based on a lengthy joint investigation by the Milwaukee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) via the Milwaukee High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Drug Gang Task Force.

Law enforcement agencies that were involved in the search warrants and arrests today include the Milwaukee Police Department; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office; the South Milwaukee Police Department; the West Allis Police Department; the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigations; the Wisconsin State Patrol; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the Internal Revenue Service; the United States Marshals Service; the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office; and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

According to First Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad, “These charges, arrests, and seizures are a part of our continuing work to dismantle drug organizations that threaten the safety and security of neighborhoods in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and elsewhere. These efforts reflect the importance of ongoing collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement.”

Chief Edward Flynn of the Milwaukee Police Department stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement have been valuable and reliable partners with the Milwaukee Police Department in reducing violent crime and drug trafficking in Milwaukee. Today’s operation demonstrates their continued commitment to our partnership.”

FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Steven L. Conley said, “We will continue to work collaboratively and aggressively to bring these violent offenders to justice.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mario F. Gonzales.

An indictment or criminal complaint is a method of charging an individual and does not constitute inference of his or her guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until such time, if ever, that the government establishes his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.